Changes on the horizon

I have a new laptop, spent two hours this morning coaxing the printer and laptop to talk to each other, have taken out a sizable student loan, and have sorted out my workstation (complete with paper flowers courtesy of Gus) all in the name of education - mine that is.  Yes, I have finally decided to return to study.  

Midway through my degree I had decided that I wanted to continue studying towards a Masters in Education but moving state, then country and two children later, my plans were happily put on the back burner.  But for the past six months or so I had been wondering if the time was right to get back into it. 

Would I have the time and energy to make a real go of it? How on earth am I going to kick my brain back into action to be able to write, read and speak in such a way that makes sense to someone over the age of four?  Am I prepared to put my baby into childcare? ("I'm not a baby Mummy, I'm a big boy!" declares Felix constantly, but aren't they always your baby?) Will I still have the time the boys deserve to have with their Mummy, which was the whole reason I chose not to return to work?  How will I ensure we don't become a 'hurried household' - something that stresses both Gus and I out to no end? So much to consider, but at the end of the day Grant told me to stop faffing about and just do it, so I did.  

Being a rather critical early childhood teacher (some might say that is an understatement), the biggest problem for me was choosing a childcare centre that matched my ideals and where Felix would be happy.  No big name plastic fantastic service for my boy (apologies if your child does attend this type of service).  The centre had to be pretty special to meet my expectations, and low-and-behold what is literaly five minutes walk from our home, but a Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Centre. The centre resides in a tiny cottage, which means that the number of children are low whilst the number of adult to child ratio is high.  The Steiner philosophy is so calm and gentle, working with nature and the natural rhythms of life and is just perfect for Felix.  It took him a mere week to become settled, feel comfortable with the routines, and to develop close connections with the teachers.  I was and still am amazed at how easily he has settled in.  What a champion!

Now with just a week to go before the semester starts I'm feeling rather nervous, especially as there is a 1000 word essay due in less than a month. Oh my goodness - wish me luck!